Proposal for a COSJ Sub-Council on Children’s Issues

John Clapp, Sub-Chair
Sunday, October 30, 2004

Objectives and Purpose of the Children’s Sub-Council

The Sub-Council on Children’s Issues will address the needs of children from disadvantaged and stressed family situations. The objectives of the Sub-Council are to provide services to families stressed by an absent parent or by poverty, and to promote an understanding of the important roles of parents who don’t live together.

Problem Definition

One third of Connecticut children are born out of wedlock and nearly half of the remainder experience family dissolution at some point in their childhood. This sometimes results in the absence of a mother and often in a mother who is stressed by the demands of single parenthood. It often results in the absence of a father. Research based on behavioral outcomes shows that Girls without a father in their life are two and a half times as likely to get pregnant and 53 percent more likely to commit suicide. Bothgirls and boys are twice as likely to drop out of high school, twice as likely to end up in jail and nearly four times as likely to need help for emotional or behavioral problems. Fathers involved in their children’s lives are twice as likely to pay child support.(1)

Proposed Activities

Short-term goals are to raise awareness of this issue within the USH Congregation, and to devise services for dealing with the issue. Develop methods to help families with an absent or partially absent parent to work together in the best interests of children, except when involvement by one parent would pose a clear physical or emotional threat to the children or to the other parent. Prepare and implement workshops to facilitate the achievement of this objective.

Long-term goals are to extend these techniques outside the USH congregation. Promote public understanding and education on the important roles of parents who don’t live together. Promote neutral drop off sites for parents in high conflict roles. Promote a public policy in Connecticut that encourages active, regular and continuing involvement by both parents except when a clear danger is present.

Sources: 1. HHS Press Release, Friday, March 26, 1999. 2. Princeton Center for Child-Wellbeing. 3. Cynthia Harper and Sara McLanahan, “Father Absence and Youth Incarceration.” Princeton. 4. CT DSS Commissioner Patricia Wilson-Coker.

Let us know of any comments, errors and corrections - thanks (revised 2/21/05)